 |
|
|
 |
|
 
The End Is Near!
In the current economic climate, we are bombarded with numbers at every turn. But, with the exception of declining oil prices, it is difficult to find something in the media to get excited about.
Every day for the last quarter of 2008 we heard of studio closings, layoffs, and reduced publishing budgets, while at the same time hardware and software sales were up as much as 22%, depending on which source you believe. Consumers are definitely “nesting,” and that works in our favor, as does the fact that games represent one of the best entertainment values per hour of all media forms. Why then, one asks, does everyone seem to be feeling a pinch? And when can we reasonably expect it to end?
Even more important, what can we do to make sure we are still there when it does?
To reach reasonable conclusions to any of these questions, it pays to understand the normal cycle of our industry and how that cycle is being disrupted by external factors.
The videogame industry has the unique characteristic of being both seasonal and cyclical. (We will deal with cyclical issues in a moment.) With respect to the seasonal nature of the industry, the two heavy selling seasons are summer and Christmas. To have product ready for these seasons, development must begin anywhere from 1-2 years prior to the projected on-sale date and, for some AAA titles, even sooner. Some platforms allow shorter development timelines, but these are reasonable benchmarks for our analysis.
Because of this timing, retailers had no shortage of product in 2008 for either of the key quarters, as all of that product had been funded and developed before the gyrations of the financial markets began in earnest. In fact, there was a glut of product, particularly for the Nintendo platforms and, to a lesser extent, the Xbox 360. Whenever the market gets flooded with product, irrespective of other factors, it leads to some consolidation. Mid-tier and smaller publishers can’t market their products as effectively as the larger publishers and also lack the leverage the larger publishers have in getting their slates on the shelf.
In this environment, overall sales may be healthy and even growing, but the winning titles are typically concentrated in fewer hands. For Christmas 2008, external factors have exacerbated the normal cycle because of vast contractions in the retail sector as a whole, declining market caps in the publicly traded publishers, grossly reduced marketing budgets across the board, the evaporation of lines of credit, and the retail sector slow paying publishers, which has a trickledown effect on all the supporting players in outsourcing and independent game development. Sounds pretty bleak, right? Well, this is only half the story …
Click here to read the full article
»
Archive of previous columns »
|
|
| |
 |
| |
Location: San Francisco, California
Focus: Full-service animation studio
Facts: Specializes in “mission-critical” art for movies, TV, and games; previous work includes six out of 13 levels for EA’s “From Russia With Love,” assets for Midway’s “Stranglehold,” the complete Zurich level for Vivendi’s “Bourne Identify,” and all the rendered cinematics for Sega’s “Iron Man.”
In the four years since Black Point Studios opened its doors in Sept., 2004, the service provider has specialized in what president/CEO Stan Miskiewicz calls “mission-critical” work.
“ I believe there’s some outsourcing work you do want to send to China and India because it simply isn’t cost-effective to do it domestically,” he explains. “What you want to give Black Point are the sort of things you need to know will be done right the first time, on-budget, and on-time.”
Above all else, Miskiewicz doesn’t want his clients to have sleepless nights. “When they wake up in the middle of the night worrying about whether something is in good hands, we want them to remember who they gave it to and then go back to sleep. That’s the sort of relationship we have with all our clients, none of whom have left us since day one. There are so many details in a project that need their attention, we make sure what they’ve given us isn’t one of them.”
Black Point has between 13 and 27 artists depending on how many projects are in-house. And, in between projects, the team is busily creating Black Point’s first original IP entitled “Chronicles of Cohen.” The horror tale, based on an original comic book, will morph into a game and a movie to be released simultaneously on Halloween of 2010 if all goes well.
“This is a project that shows off the experience we have with both the Unreal 3 engine and CG films,” says Miskiewicz. “We already have a trailer on YouTube, and we’re discussing whether we’re going with an outside publisher or self-publishing as an episodic game online. No decision has been made yet.”
While Miskiewicz says he can’t discuss any of his current projects all of which are protected by NDA, he stresses that Black Point “does everything except programming.
“ We’re the guys you call when the important stuff needs to get done, like the game characters. Salt shakers and telephones and chairs and desks can be done elsewhere, but when you want to make sure that your characters are being done right with no surprises, we’re there to help.”
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
Santa Cruz Games Releases “Igor” In Conjunction With Movie Release.
He always had a hunch he could change the world … and now gamers can help Igor do just that with the simultaneous release by Santa Cruz Games of “Igor” with the movie of the same name. Check out the description on the SouthPeak Games site: “Join Igor, Eva, Scamper, and Brain as they quest through the Kingdom of Malaria. Help them battle the Evil Scientists and other enemies while working towards Igor’s ultimate goal of winning the annual Evil Science Fair!”
“Moon” For DS Wins IGN Editors’ Choice Award.
The folks at publisher Mastiff and developer Renegade Kid are tickled pink that “Moon,” their sci-fi first-person shooter for the Nintendo DS scored an 8.5 on IGN.com and, at the same time, won the site’s Editor’s Choice Award.
According to IGN.com, the award is “a sign of excellence reserved for only the best products. The award signifies excellence in entertainment value, performance, design, originality, and lasting appeal. A product bearing this award has our unequivocal recommendation and is sure to become a classic in its field.”
Check out the entire review for choice comments like: “One hell of an impressive game” and “It only takes one quick look at ‘Moon’ to see just how much of a technical masterpiece this game is on DS.”
Huru Humi Retail Launch “Huge Success.”
Huru Humi (pronounced “Who are you? Who am I?”), one of the most widely anticipated youth products of the year, officially launched in retail stores nationwide recently.
Huru Humi is the very first line of artificial friend featuring high school characters from Huru High, who possess distinct identities, voices, pasts, personalities, interests, styles and facial expressions. Not only can Huru Humi talk to their “gurus” (owners) and to each other, they can have conversations in groups of up to four Huru Humis at the same time.
Click for more details.
|
|
|
 |
FOG will be at all these industry
events. Click here to set up an
appointment.
March 23-27
Game Developers Conference (GDC)
San Francisco, California
www.gdconf.com/
June 2-4
E3 2009
Los Angeles, California
www.e3expo.com/
June 2-4
Licensing International Expo
Las Vegas, Nevada
www.licensingexpo.com/
|
| |
|
 |
| |
 |
Ping us by clicking on the
appropriate link. We are currently
looking for the following:
-
Wanted: Publisher and developer RFPs for projects scheduled to start Q1 2009 or beyond.
-
Wanted: Beta testers for Mr. FOGs, the elite marketplace info for insiders.
-
Wanted: Pre-registrations for getin2games.com, connecting university and grad students from around the world.
-
Wanted: Game property merchandising rights.
|
|
 |
| |
 |
FOG Studios, the leading agency for
interactive rights since 1979,
helps:
|
 |
Independent developers find
publishing partners and other
avenues to market. |
|
|
|
IP owners maximize their return
when licensing in the interactive
marketplace. |
|
|
|
Publishers develop relationships
with world-class brands and top
developers. |
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
A Friend Of FOG
For over 30 years, Troma Entertainment has operated outside of the studio system, churning out cult movies — like the “The Toxic Avenger” series — that trade in visceral shocks, slapstick, heavy puns, and grotesquely satirical takes on social issues. While the critics haven’t always been kind, the impact of Troma can be seen in nearly every indie filmmaker who cut his teeth in the video era — from Peter Jackson and Quentin Tarantino to Trey Parker of “South Park” fame (whose “Cannibal! The Musical” was a Troma production).
Since founding the studio in 1974, president Lloyd Kaufman has added more than 800 films to the Troma library, many of which he either personally wrote, directed, or starred in.
Today, Kaufman is speaking out against media consolidation which is negatively affecting indie art. And if you haven’t seen his rant on YouTube, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
For that creativity and indie spirit, Lloyd Kaufman is now a Friend of FOG. |
|
|
| |
 |
Do you want an e-newsletter
like this one?
Talk
to our friends at OpenMoves and they’ll help you get in front of your clients with great-looking e-mail campaigns |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
This is not a complete listing of the
opportunities available through FOG
Studios. To request more information on
any of the featured opportunities,
discuss other opportunities exclusively
represented by FOG Studios, or to
determine the availability of any of
our Developer or Service Provider
Clients for your upcoming projects,
please
click here.
Portions of the FOG/Log may be reprinted or otherwise freely distributed with proper attribution. If you would like to request these permissions, please click here.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
